The present invention relates to a method and system for recommending electronic component connectivity configurations to users of electronic components as well as other information such as enhancements and accessories, and, more particularly, the present invention relates to methods and systems for providing information relating to audiovisual (AV) components and their accessories to a user.
At present, the popularity of electronic components for personal and professional use is on the rise. In particular, home/office entertainment equipment, which may include these electronic components, is becoming more prevalent and at the same time more and more complex. One reason for this increased complexity is due, in part, to the increasing number and variety of electronic components now available to an average consumer (or user). In particular, to name a few, there are general purpose computers and computer systems, AM/FM stereo tuners/receivers, phonograph players, amplifiers, pre-amplifiers, loud speakers, including, center channel speakers, subwoofers, surround sound systems, compact disc (CD) players, Mini Disc(trademark) (MD)1 players, digital versatile disc (DVD) players, DAT recorder/players, tape cassette recorder/players, VCR""s, conventional big screen and high definition (HD) televisions, cable and satellite dish signal sources, set top Internet systems, computer control systems, TIVO(trademark) (an MPEG-based storage of television programs without the need for a VCR), and the like.
1Mini Disc(trademark) is a trademark of Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan. 
In addition, a user may be confronted with multiple brand names from which to choose, numerous models offered by each company, wide variations among the types of components to combine, compatibility or incompatibility among existing and new equipment, compatibility or incompatibility among present and future interface technology, such as analog and digital, COAX, RCA jacks, optical ports, etc. All of this equipment is referred to hereinafter collectively as electronic components or electronic equipment, with a subset being audiovisual (AV) components or equipment, and related accessories.
It is not difficult to imagine that many users of electronic equipment may have difficulty connecting together each and every piece of the above-mentioned equipment. It is desirable to have most, if not all, of the equipment or components connected together, at least in an adequate configuration, so that the equipment performs in accordance with its intended purpose. It also is desirable to take full advantage of most, if not all, of the features made available by each component, without running afoul of incompatibilities between components. For instance, with respect to AV components, a DVD player may have optical input and output ports but the receiver may have only RCA jacks. Therefore, although it would seem most desirable to use the optical inputs and outputs of the DVD player, the user would instead have to use the RCA jacks to accommodate the receiver.
At present, to aid in configuring desired components together, users are resigned to reviewing product manuals for each component, contacting representatives from each vendor of each component, or getting assistance from other users of the same or similar components. Product manuals usually provide little, if any, specific connectivity configuration diagrams, such as wiring configurations, of a user""s entire system components. One vendor may not have the information of the other vendors"" components, which information may be needed to facilitate proper connection. This may be true especially where a user has old and outdated components combined with new or state of the art components and/or components from different vendors. Finally, the user may have to spend an inordinate amount of time determining the component configuration or worse yet have to rely on other users with the same or less knowledge than the user regarding connecting a system together.
As a result, a user is left with a rat""s nest of wiring and input/output connectivity configurations, or options and diagrams that may need to be understood to achieve a working electronic component system.
In addition to the aforesaid difficulties, users of such electronic equipment may desire other information relating to such equipment. For instance, a user may currently own or intend to purchase certain equipment and may desire to know whether the equipment he or she is purchasing is considered to be top-of-the-line or just merely middle-range. The user also may want to determine which components are compatible, or better yet, work best with other components. Finally, the user may desire a xe2x80x9cone-stop-shoppingxe2x80x9d experience and be able to have his or her electronic component system needs analyzed to determine the best combination of components, given certain user parameters. In addition, the user may want to know about the entire range of accessories available for a particular component.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and system that provides a way of receiving such information about the user""s current and prospective components and provides an appropriate component connectivity configuration to that user. In addition, upon receipt of personal information from the user, there is a need to provide additional suggestions and recommendations to persuade the user to buy enhancements, upgrades, additional or related equipment, as well as related merchandise such as peripherals, video cassettes, tape cassettes, CD""s, DVD""s, Mini Discs(trademark), and the like.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-implemented method for presenting recommended electronic component connectivity configurations to a user. A preferred embodiment of this aspect of the present invention includes (a) providing a user interface display for displaying data representing at least a group of predetermined user-selectable electronic components, (b) receiving data representing a user-selected subset of electronic components from the group of predetermined user-selectable electronic components, (c) retrieving from a memory storage device attributes associated with each electronic component of the user-selected subset of electronic components, (d) comparing the data representing the user-selected subset of electronic components and the associated attributes to determine a suitable electronic component connectivity configuration, and (e) presenting data representing the electronic component connectivity configuration to the user. Desirably, the electronic components being represented comprise audiovisual (AV) components.
Preferably, the method according to this preferred embodiment includes providing a graphical user interface display for displaying graphical data. More preferably, the method includes presenting graphical representations of electronic component connectivity configurations of the user-selected subset of electronic components. Most preferably, the step of presenting graphical representatives of electronic component connectivity configurations includes displaying representations of electrical wires or signal cables (with certain wires being labeled) to show the connections among appropriate connectors on each electronic components of the user-selected subset of electronic components.
Desirably, this preferred embodiment further comprises (a) receiving personal information from the user, (b) analyzing the personal information in conjunction with the user-selected subset of electronic components, and (c) presenting recommendations of additional information, such as additional or different components or accessories, to the user. Preferably, this desired method includes forwarding information to the user relating to certain electronic components, other than those selected by the user in the user-selected subset of electronic components. Most preferably, the personal information is selected from a group consisting of user demographic data, historical purchase data, click stream data or user-provided data.
In a most preferred embodiment, the above preferred method further comprises retrieving technical specifications and connectivity information for at least one of the electronic components from the user-selected subset of electronic components. Most preferably, representative data of the electronic components is stored in an object-oriented database by type of electronic component.
Most preferably, the step of presenting the electronic component connectivity configuration comprises (a) presenting graphical representations of the user-selected subset of electronic components, including input and output ports and (b) presenting graphical representations of suggested electronic components not otherwise selected by the user but ones that the user may desire to purchase to enhance the user""s system.
The method in accordance with the preferred embodiments described above may be accomplished through a textual display device, which is capable of displaying textual representations of available electronic components and able to receive user input and selection. Preferably, the textual display device may include an electronic component. More preferably, the electronic component is within the user""s group of electronic components. Most preferably, the display device may comprise a DVD player, which includes a scrollable display screen.
The method in accordance with the preferred embodiments described above also may be accomplished through a computer network. The network may include a local area network or a wide area network. The network may also include a client/server network. Most preferably, the network comprises a global computer information network, such as the Internet.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-implemented method for providing recommendations to a user through a vendor web site accessible over a computer network by a plurality of users. The users may have user computers connected to the computer network for accessing the vendor web site.
A preferred embodiment of this aspect of the present invention includes (a) providing a vendor/user interactive web site containing data representing at least a group of predetermined user-selectable electronic components, (b) receiving, electronically forwarded via the computer network, data representing a user-selected subset of electronic components from the group of predetermined user-selectable electronic components, (c) storing the data representative of the user-selected subset of electronic components into an object-oriented database, (d) identifying each electronic component from the user-selected subset with its associated technical attributes, (e) comparing the technical attributes of the user-selected subset of electronic components to determine a suitable electronic component connectivity configuration, and (f) electronically forwarding to the user, via the computer network, data representing the suggested electronic component connectivity configuration.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, the step of providing a user interface display further comprises providing a graphical user interface display. More preferably, this step includes presenting a graphical representation of the electronic component connectivity configuration of the user-selected subset of electronic components. Most preferably, the graphical presentation includes displaying data representing electrical wires or signal cables (some being labeled) to show the connection of appropriate connectors on each electronic component of the user-selected subset of electronic components.
Desirably, this embodiment further comprises (a) receiving personal information from the user, (b) analyzing the personal information in conjunction with the user-selected subset of electronic components, and (c) presenting recommendations of additional components or accessories to the user. Preferably, this step of presenting recommendations includes forwarding information relating to vendor components, other than those selected by the user in the user-selected subset of electronic components. Desirably, the personal information is selected from a group consisting of user demographic data, historical purchase data, click stream data or user-provided data. Most preferably, the step of retrieving the technical attributes of each component comprises retrieving technical specifications and connectivity information for at least one of the electronic components from the user-selected subset of electronic components.
In a most preferred embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, the step of presenting the electronic component connectivity configuration comprises (a) presenting graphical representations of the user-selected subset of electronic components, including input/output ports or jacks, and (b) presenting suggested electronic components that the user may want to purchase to enhance the user""s electronic component system. Most preferably, the electronic components include audiovisual (AV) components.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided, in a computer system for providing electronic component recommendations from a vendor computer to a user computer through a vendor web site accessible over a computer network by a plurality of users, the users having user computers connected to a computer network for accessing the vendor web site, a graphical electronic component generating system comprising a graphical electronic component generation program executable on the vendor computer and containing instructions for causing the vendor computer to generate an interactive vendor graphical electronic component display that represents the vendor""s electronic components and interactively guides a user through the vendor computer web site. The graphical electronic component generation program is operative to send display commands to the user computer when the user computer has accessed the vendor web site causing the user computer to display, on a display device associated with the user computer, the interactive vendor electronic components for selection by the user.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, the vendor computer records the user-selected electronic components and records personal data provided by the user or acquired through historical data or click stream data. Preferably, the vendor computer comprises an artificial intelligence (AI) function that allows the vendor computer to analyze the user""s electronic components selection and to recommend enhanced or additional electronic components in accordance with the user""s personal preferences. More preferably, the AI function further analyzes the user""s personal information to be able to cross-sell and up-sell additional vendor products, as these terms are described herein.
In accordance with still a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer implemented method for presenting recommendations to a user of electronic components. A method in accordance with a preferred embodiment of this aspect of the present invention comprising (a) providing, from a component object-oriented database, a user interface display containing data representing at least a group of predetermined user-selectable electronic components, (b) receiving data representing a user-selected subset of electronic components from the group of predetermined user-selectable electronic components, (c) retrieving, from an electronic component attribute gathering module, attributes associated with each component of the user-selected subset of electronic components, (d) transferring the received data of the user-selected subset of electronic components and the associated attributes to an analysis engine having a rules database, (e) analyzing the user-selected subset of electronic components and the associated attributes to determine a suitable electronic component connectivity configuration, and (f) presenting data representing the electronic component connectivity configuration to the user.
Preferably, each electronic component object in the component object-oriented database contains technical information of each electronic component. The technical information preferably comprises the type of input/output ports or jacks associated with the electronic components. The technical information may also comprise the type of sound capability supported by the electronic components. Preferably, the type of sound capability includes digital sound capability. The technical information may also include the type of device bus associated with each electronic component.
In a preferred embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, there is provided an analysis engine which (a) examines attributes of the electronic components and (b) applies rules from the rules database to determine a suitable input/output component connectivity configuration, and to determine incompatibilities that may exist between the electronic components. Desirably, the suitable input/output component connectivity configuration comprises optical, RCA jacks or COAX connectivity configurations.
In another preferred embodiment, the user interface display comprises an electronic component. Most preferably, the electronic component comprises an audiovisual (AV) component, such as a DVD player. In this preferred embodiment, data representing the group of predetermined user-selectable electronic components may be provided to the user in at least a textual format or in at least a graphical format.
In accordance with yet another embodiment of the above-mentioned aspects, there is provided a graphical user interface display, wherein data representing the group of predetermined user-selectable electronic components are displayed in at least one dialog box. Preferably, the group of predetermined user-selectable electronic components include separate electronic components that are each displayed in an associated dialog box, whereby the user is able to independently select or not select an electronic component from each dialog box. Each associated dialog box of each electronic component may contain at least one model of the associated electronic component. More preferably, each associated dialog box of each electronic component contains data representing a plurality of different models of the associated electronic component. The electronic components are preferably AV components, comprising an AM/FM receiver, an amplifier, a turntable, an equalizer, a compact disk (CD) player, a digital versatile disk (DVD) player, a cassette recorder/player, a DAT player, a television, a high definition television, a general purpose computer, a Mini Disc(trademark) player, a TEVO(trademark) recorder/player, a video cassette recorder/player (VCR), or a laser disk player.
In the computer system aspect of the present invention as described above, a preferred embodiment is provided where the interactive vendor graphical electronic component display comprises at least one dialog box. Preferably, the interactive vendor graphical electronic component display includes representations of separate electronic components that are each displayed in an associated dialog box, whereby the user is able to independently select or not select an electronic component from each dialog box. More preferably, each associated dialog box of each electronic component contains data representing at least one model of the associated electronic component. Alternatively, each associated dialog box of each electronic component contains data representing a plurality of different models of the associated electronic component. Most preferably, the electronic components are audiovisual (AV) components. Desirably, the AV components comprise any one component from a group comprising an AM/FM receiver, an amplifier, a turntable, an equalizer, a compact disk (CD) player, a digital versatile disk (DVD) player, a cassette recorder/player, a DAT player, a television, a high definition television, a general purpose computer, a Mini Disc(trademark) player, a TEVO(trademark) recorder/player, a video cassette recorder/player (VCR), or a laser disk player.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-implemented method for providing electronic component and related recommendations to a user of electronic components. A preferred method includes: (a) providing a graphical user interface display containing data representing at least a group of predetermined user-selectable electronic components, each electronic component from the group of predetermined user-selectable electronic components being associated with its own dialog box; (b) receiving data representing a user-selected subset of electronic components from the group of predetermined user-selectable electronic components; (c) retrieving from a memory storage device attributes associated with each component of the user-selected subset of electronic components; (d) comparing the user-selected subset of electronic components data and the associated attributes to determine a suitable electronic component connectivity configuration; and (e) presenting data representing the electronic component connectivity configuration to the user.
Preferably, this method includes the step of providing an additional user interactive dialog box that is not associated with any predetermined electronic component. More preferably, the method includes the step of receiving at least one user-supplied electronic component from the user by way of the unassociated dialog box. Alternatively, a human operator performs the steps of receiving, retrieving and comparing. In this alternative, the user is able to communicate with the human operator. Preferably, the communication is via electronic communications. Alternatively, the communication is via voice communication.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-implemented method for determining electronic component connectivity configurations of a set of electronic components. A preferred embodiment of this aspect includes: (a) providing an analysis engine; (b) providing a rules database containing logic rules; (c) analyzing known attributes of the set of electronic components; and (d) applying logic rules from the rules database to determine a suitable electronic component connectivity configuration. Preferably, the analysis engine further determines incompatibilities that may exist between the electronic components.